Broken Lands
by gsrawson
Summary: After a massive war that left the world in ruins and caused a pokemon uprising that reduced the human population to a mere fraction of its former numbers, a young girl will finally find the courage to leave her home and explore the world with a friend at her side; a friend that was kept a secret from the regime she was forced to live under, lest he be killed.
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone and welcome to the first chapter of Broken Lands! I apologize for not getting this out on the usual time I would release chapters; life has been on the low side for me as of late with things not quiet going how it should. But, I will not keep you here just because of my life's current problems, things will get better I'm sure. This story will not be as long as A Soldier and His Gardevoir, but i hope you enjoy it nonetheless! Please note that at times there will be dates, particularly in this chapter. Since I cannot find any conclusive evidence of the time in the Pokemon world, I will instead use our own. Anyways, let's not waste time!**

* * *

 **Prologue: The Great Downfall**

Year, 2018

The last several weeks had been a time of tense and horrid fears. The world, on a political scale, was falling apart. New laws and taxes had been implemented across the nation, and now several regions threatened to secede. Tensions were ever rising, and with it followed with each of the regions either reactivating their regional military force or heavily strengthening what they already had. More and more military vehicles, aircraft and soldiers were being seen. In the regions threatening to secede, images of local patriotism on the extreme levels could be seen on every billboard and TV. It could be heard on every radio; even the large screens decorating the sides of the tall skyscrapers in the big cities displayed images of the extreme and violent patriotism. The entire ordeal made for a most volatile and deadly time bomb, ready to blow at any second.

It was on this day that the proverbial bomb would finally detonate in its deadly power. News stations across the entire nation blared to life as the info reached them. The Sevii Islands, though technically under the power and control of Kanto, had strong secessionist feelings within its political body. It was through backdoor dealings with Hoenn that the small region's larger neighbor sent its military force across the waters and began to take positions on the islands. This forced Kanto soldiers that were stationed there to flee or face the consequences. TV's across the nation showed aerial footage of Hoenn's troop transports pulling up to several coasts of the Sevii Islands. The Kanto Region, greatly angered by what it felt was an invasion, sent its army across the waters between it and Hoenn and invaded its now enemy. Johto, allied with Kanto, sunk several warships belonging to Sinnoh, who was attempting to help reinforce its Hoenn ally. The regions all then declared war on each other, sparking a terrible war. This conflict was known to Johto and Kanto as the 'Unification War', while Sinnoh and Hoenn called it the 'Great Independence War'.

Though, as time will come to tell, the survivors would come to refer to this war as 'The Great Downfall'.

Year, 2025

Seven years...seven long years. Much of the mainland of the nation was left in ruins. As the war progressed, the Sevii Islands nearly had become uninhabitable with the stench of death and poisonous gases that filled the sky. Hoenn refused to allow its enemy to regain the islands, so they burned everything on the lands and filled the air with the thick yellow gases that killed nearly every living thing. It now hung low to the ground, revealing the destruction left behind by the militaries that fought for control over the small patches of dirt. The waters around the Sevii Islands had become permanently stained a dull red; a result of the thousands of dead and decaying human soldiers and their pokemon companions.

Hoenn itself suffered a terrible invasion by its enemies. Much of its infrastructure was left in rubble as it was forced to surrender to Kanto and Johto. With one of their opponents gone, the alliance set its sights on Sinnoh. The island region had been preparing its coastal defenses since Hoenn was first invaded. They knew their ally was doomed as soon as Kanto boots hit the sands. Sinnoh soldiers landed as well, trying to give aid, but they soon retreated to instead plan the invasion of the mainland. While hoards of alliance warships and water pokemon slammed against the shields of Sinnoh's coastal guns, a massive invasion force was secretly being dispatched. The Spring Offensive of 2023 left hundreds of thousands of humans and many more pokemon dead in the destructive wake of Sinnoh's surprise blitzkrieg. The alliance, not realizing until it was too late, found the Kanto half of their coalition falling. The reserve defense forces and many thousands of civilians rose up to defend their homes, but were smashed by the divisions of veteran Sinnoh soldiers. It only took weeks for the battle-hardened invaders to reach Saffron City, which had been declared as the defacto capital of the region.

With the capital of Kanto in their control, Sinnoh forced the region into submission. It withdrew its troops from Sinnoh's shores as they had just managed to break through the coastal defenses in desperation. Kanto had hoped to break Sinnoh's back before they had to surrender. Johto resumed the landings, with many thousands of Kanto defectors that refused to surrender within their ranks. The invasion force began at southwestern tip of Sinnoh, and soon took Jubilife City.

Sinnoh refused to back down, instead rushing its armies to the border between Johto and Kanto. The Sinnoh military had received 'reinforcements' in the form of pokemon captured from the local wildlife and off the bodies of fallen soldiers. Also with them were civilians who sympathized with Sinnoh and joined their ranks. The region then began its total invasion of Johto, burning and destroying everything in its path.

Soon, tensions reached its climax. The governments of both Johto and Sinnoh realized that they each were on the verge of losing. While Sinnoh was making fast grounds on its enemy territory, their opponent was also making the same progress within their own home. They finally turned to each of their own ultimate weapons: the orbital kinetic strikes. Nuclear weapons had long been banned, and the knowledge of their manufacture was long lost. Instead, the split nation had developed kinetic weapons. Satellites in orbit, armed with tungsten rods with rocket engines. The rods would be dropped from orbit and launched to the target at extremely high speeds; merely using the kinetic impact alone to decimate city-sized targets with the force of a nuke without the radiation.

Sinnoh was the first region to use the weapon. A seventy-two hour warning was given. It then fired at several cities in Johto, annihilating much of the populations that were unable to find shelter in time. Johto responded in kind, firing its orbital strikes. Jubilife City, which had just been retaken by Sinnoh, was reduced to rubble by the weapon. Oreburgh City was decimated as well, killing anyone not in a suitable shelter.

The strikes failed to prove enough, with either region refusing to back down. They instead insisted on keeping the fighting going, and even pushed more pokemon to the front line as replacements for the fallen human soldiers. With most of the human factor of each military gone or pulled into reserve, pokemon were forced to fight in their masters' places. The brutal death and destruction carried on for another two years, leading into 2025. The pokemon had finally grown tired and angry with what they now saw as slavery and abuse from their captors. It began with numerous wild pokemon attacking, being lead by the legendary ones. Soon, many of the captures pokemon had been freed, and they all turned to their violence to humanity. The militaries of Sinnoh and Johto quickly proved to fail against the sudden onslaught that turned against them.

While bloody fighting broke out in the streets of the ruins of Jubilife City, a lone soldier watched on. He was froze in a state of horror at the sights around him. His eyes ran across the chaos that was being waged in the streets. One soldier was gored by the horns of a Ramparados; another was burned alive by an Infernape. The soldier looked to his right, seeing an innocent man ripped to shreds by an Aggron when he tried to shield his family from the Iron Armor Pokemon. The small family screamed and cried for mercy, but they too were quickly killed.

The soldier stumbled a few steps forward, tightly gripping his rifle. His throat became as dry as a desert. His eyes filled to the brims with tears. The man still found himself unable to move. Never would he have thought that this war would lead to this. He never agreed with the fighting between regions to begin with, but as a soldier he was forced to comply. Now though, a whole new war was being fought; and it was one that humanity was bound to lose. He looked to his left as his eyes subconsciously guided him. A Medicham found itself knocked to the ground. Several soldiers quickly rushed the Meditate Pokemon and started beating it to death with the butts of their rifles. Only after several moments of the abuse did they finally shoot it. The man also saw a Igglybuff, merely a baby, being viciously stomped into the ground by another soldier. Once the demented soldier was satisfied with the dead baby pokemon under his boot did he resume his firing at other pokemon.

The young soldier shook his head. Tears broke free and ran down his cheeks. He then looked down at his rifle. The soldier wanted nothing to do with this violence. He wanted nothing of it. He didn't want the death. He didn't want the abuse. He only wished for this nightmare to be over; that he'd wake up to find himself in his bed, with his wife at his side. After a moment of simply standing in the open, the soldier dropped his rifle and spun on his heels. The young man ran as fast as he could away from the battle, sobbing the entire time as he ran away.

Within only three months' time, much of humanity had been killed. What had started as a population in the billions, had suddenly become more in the mere six-digit numbers. Only small patches of survivors and militia forces, remnants of their region's military, remained. These small patches of resistance against what was now seen as monsters instead of pokemon had become united under a single banner. It was a confederation of the settlements, all lead by one man who had not been seen by anyone under his command. This regime had proven to be a tyrannical one, silencing those who would dare speak against them. The general population of survivors tended to try to ignore the tyranny over their heads, knowing that the military under its command had managed to keep the monsters at bay.

Year, 2045

It was within this regime, and in a small town known as Anvil, that this story will begin; twenty years after the fall of humanity. Sitting on the walls separating the homes and buildings of Anvil from the outside world was a young girl. She had recently turned eighteen, and took to a habit of sitting on the wall. Looking out at the fields around the town, her hazel eyes stared with wonder. She brushed a lock of brown hair from her face, then turned to jump back to the ground. The girl, whose name was May, was growing more curious about the outside world, and she felt nearly ready to leave the regime and explore.

* * *

 **That will be it for the prologue! I understand it was short, but it is needed to help establish the kind of story that will be following it. I hope you guys all enjoyed and I hope to update this story as much as possible. I will try for the weekly updates like I did with my first story, but we'll see since my life has been somewhat hectic. Anyways, see you next time. Good to be back! Peace!**


	2. May and Her Secret

**Chapter 1 - May and Her Secret**

Year, 2045

The sun was slowly setting over the treeline far off in the distance. As the star lowered itself, it cast a warm, orange glow over the wide fields of blossoming flowers west of Anvil. Beyond the flowers was the vast ocean. May watched the sunset from her perch atop the ramshackle wall surrounding Anvil. The small town was built up from the ruins of another town that used to be here, but the name of which she could not clearly remember. It did not matter to her, however, for she had always known it as Anvil. It was the place of her birth, and this was where she had grown up.

The town itself, May did not mind. The people here typically kept to themselves on their usual tasks, and that was fine with her. She also paid not a mind to the run down homes and other buildings, nor the occasional brown outs that the power grid suffered several times a week. It was all normal for her, as if it was just another part of life. The young woman always figured that was how life simply was before the Great Downfall, but then she overheard some of the older guards talking about life before the war. About the tall, beautiful buildings that reached the skies themselves with their seemingly unreachable heights. She heard them talk about the foods they used to enjoy, all the variety beyond the plain broths and vegetables she was used to.

It wasn't only that though, but she heard about how humans and pokemon used to live together in harmony. All her life, she was raised to believe that pokemon were vicious monsters that preyed on human flesh, no matter how big or small. She never wanted to believe it herself, of course, but it was hard to go against the teachings of the Regime. It was also nearly impossible to question it either, unless you wanted to dragged into a dark alleyway to be beaten by soldiers. Yet though, to overhear those guards conversing on how pokemon used to be a human's best friend, and sometimes almost to that of being considered family, it was an eye opener to the young woman. That eavesdropping had been some time ago now. She was merely fourteen or fifteen when she heard those guards talking. May was now 18 though, and she felt the pulling urge to question everything the Regime had taught her.

The young girl gently brushed a few long strands of her brown hair from away from her eyes, only for it to fall back into place. She huffed quietly in annoyance, staring at the hair that refused to obey her. May then heard a small chuckle behind her, followed by a voice that she instantly recognized.

" **You look good when your hair is like that. It gives you a 'tough' look,** " the voice said in her mind.

She turned and looked down at the one who spoke to her in her mind. It was Mason. The young 'man' had his hands in his pockets as he stared up at her. A wide grin dominated his face. May smiled back and leapt down from the top of the wall, landing gracefully next to him.

"You know I don't like it," she responded. "It gets in the way."

Mason shrugged, smiling wider.

" **See anything interesting this time?** " he asked sarcastically.

May crossed her arms, pretending to be offended.

"You know I just like sitting up there," she said, looking away briefly and upturning her nose. "I find watching the sunset to be relaxing actually."

She then turned to meet his eyes again.

"And besides...if it wasn't for me doing my usual watch, I wouldn't have found you."

Mason leaned forward and kissed her gently on the cheek. He then placed his hands on either of her arms, pulling them from their crossed position. Once her arms became uncrossed, his hands slid down her arms to hold her hands.

" **I know, May,** " he said. " **And I am still very grateful that you have. I have been happy with you ever since...even if it means I have to hide who I am.** "

May squeezed his hands slightly.

"I know..." the young girl said as she glanced around. There wasn't a soul in sight, as this part of town was usually abandoned, "You can be yourself for now though, there's nobody here."

Mason smiled again, then transformed into his true self. The human form shifted away and turned more bird-like. He really had no actual legs, but instead a pair of jagged fin-like protrusions. On his back emerged two triangular wings. His arms shortened and his hands had only three short fingers. Most of his body was colored blue, with white covering his neck and most of his head. A blue mask-like marking covered his face between the two long ear-like fins extending upwards from his head. The Latios stretched his neck and arms, then reached for her hands again, taking hold of them.

"Better?" May asked, giggling slightly.

He leaned his head forward and nuzzled into her neck, giving off a slight purr-like sound.

" **Much better,** " he responded.

"Good," the girl responded, laughing slightly again.

Mason pulled away from his nuzzling and the two simply stared at each other for a quiet moment. They occasionally squeezed each other's hands, but otherwise just stood there. The two enjoyed these silent moments together. After another second, May cleared her throat slightly, making Mason cock his head to the side. His pinkish-red eyes refocusing on her.

"You know..." May began quietly, "before we met, I felt alone. I mean I have my mother but...she's been distant since my father was killed."

" **What happened to him?** " Mason asked with a soothing voice in her head.

May looked away for a moment, then back to the Latios.

"It depends on who you ask...the official reports state that he was killed when an Onix collapsed the mine he was working in."

The wind seemed to pick up slightly, rustling the leaves scattered throughout the small, hidden area that the two were in.

"What actually happened...the Regime killed him. He got interested in these so called 'resistance' groups," May continued, trying to hold back a tear. "He always believed in his heart that humans and pokemon could live together in harmony like we used to before the war. He said that the Resistance was working to restore that old peace and take down the regime."

Mason nodded his head, then asked, " **What do you think of all that?** "

"Well of course I think pokemon and humanity can be at peace once more, we're living proof of that," May responded with a grin, pointing to Mason and then to herself.

She then let her gaze drop to the ground as she got more thoughtful, "...You know? I think I made my decision on what I want to do with my life."

The Latios continued looking at her. The young woman then turned her head to stare at the wall separating Anvil from the outside world.

"I want to find the Resistance," she finished.

Mason's eyes widened slightly, " **May you can't be serious? Don't you realize how dangerous that could be? It's terrible out there!** "

May let go of his hands and stepped away from him, walking back over to the wall and then leaning her back against it.

" **I understand that you don't like the Regime as much as anyone else, but you must also understand that there most pokemon are still very hostile towards humans...you could be killed in seconds!** "

"That's why you'll come with me, right?" May then said. "You're a powerful pokemon, surely you can defend me as we find the Resistance?"

" **...Of course I would do my best to protect you, I just don't know abo-** " he replied, but then suddenly stopped.

The Latios very quickly transformed back into his human disguise, sensing that someone was nearing them. May saw this and stood from the wall and approached Mason once more. Just as the Latios completed his illusion of being a human, another person rounded the corner slowly. He was about six foot in stature and was wearing a dark gray duster long coat. The stranger's skin seemed a bit more pale than normal, as if he rarely ever seen the sunlight. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of old sunglasses, but both May and Mason could feel his gaze. He also could not have been much older than May.

The young man stopped for a brief moment and looked at the couple. His stare was on May for a moment, but then she could tell his eyes moved to Mason. The man stared for an indeterminable amount of time. He then finally spoke up; his voice smooth but resonated slightly in a bass tone like that of a person who's seen a lot of horrible things.

"I do not mean to bother either of you," the stranger said, "but do you know where I can locate a place to rest for the night?"

Mason and May stood in silence for a second, both frozen in a slight fear that they may have been caught. They could tell that the man was still looking intently at Mason, but his head slowly turned towards her. She finally gulped and spoke up.

"T-there is an i-inn set up at the o-old Pokecenter located on the south end of the old town..." May answered, feeling her voice drift as she spoke.

Everything went quiet again; nobody speaking. The stranger finally walked forward and passed the two, never taking his eyes from them until he fully passed them.

"Thank you," he simply said as he disappeared around another corner.

Once the man was out of sight, May let out a sigh of relief. She then looked over at Mason, who even his human disguise was slightly paled from the interaction.

"You okay?" May asked, taking his hand again.

" **That guy...** " Mason answered, " **He seemed...off.** "

May rose her eyebrows in question.

"I felt something too...what do you think it was?"

" **He's definitely human, but...the way he stared at me,** " Mason said, turning to look at the girl next to him. " **It was as if he wasn't looking at my human disguise but...like his gaze was looking past that at the real me...** "

May gasped in shock, then quickly looked over to where the man disappeared to.

"Do you think he knows?" she asked, worry now filling her voice.

Mason placed a hand under her chin and pulled her face back to met his. He leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss.

" **There's no way to know for sure...but for now I think we need to head home,** " he stated.

May nodded, then the two started to walk quickly back to her mother's house. As the couple crossed every street, they kept an eye out for any more suspicious behavior. Little did they know, though, they were indeed being watched. The stranger from before had decided to keep an eye on them for the meantime.

Later that night: (Resistance Base Delta, Location: [redacted])

Up high in the mountains of [redacted], a Resistance base was well hidden from all suspecting eyes and any Regime drones or scouts scouring the wilderness. The small base was nestled part way within a few caves in the side of the mountain, while brown camouflaged tents sprouted up here and there on the outside. The walls of the tents were stacked high with filled sandbags, and more sandbag walls and makeshift pillboxes defended every entry into the base with the exception of the sky. Covering that was several old batteries of large caliber anti-aircraft guns salvaged from old military units. The four-barreled, rusted black guns pointed viciously into the air, daring any Regime aircraft to enter their fields of view. Among the human defenses were numerous pokemon of various kinds, fighting on the side of the Resistance. Several flying types kept their eyes in the horizon, looking out for any hostile movements.

Entering the main command tent from the dusty air outside was a middle-aged man. He was approximately in his forties and walked with a slight limp. The man wore an old and faded military uniform that has been described as belonging to the "Old World". Pushing the tent flap to the side, the man walked into the large canvas building.

Computers and radios lined the walls, all powered by a small generator set up outside and covered in sound insulating materials. At the tent's center was a large table with a map of the region resting on it. The map had many hand drawn markings covering its surface, depicting Resistance bases and outposts along with the many Regime fortresses and known positions. Any new villages and settlements were also marked on the map, with most of them over the ruins of the old cities. Several small flags of various colors were set up on the map, indicating current missions.

The tent was void of anyone with the exception of the man who entered and his wife, who was awaiting him on the other side of the large table near one of the radios. She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled warmly, then turned her attention back to the radio, turning the knobs to the proper channels and frequencies. A series of crackling and static could be heard as the man walked over to her, placing one of his hands on her shoulder. After another moment of static, a voice came over the radio.

"Delta Base, this is Psychic Two reporting in," the young male voice said.

The older man pulled the microphone closer to him, then tapped on the comms button.

"Psychic Two, good to hear from you. What is the mission status?" he asked.

A small pause of static could be heard, then the voice came back.

"Mission is going as planned so far. I have arrived at Anvil and will begin search for the target as ordered," he replied. "It looks like I'm not late, the weekly executions still have yet to be done."

The older man nodded, satisfied.

"That's good news," he said. "Make sure you find the target and get him out of there...you know how much he means to a certain person here."

"I understand loud and clear, Delta Base," Psychic Two replied. "There's also something else I've noticed..."

The older man glanced at his wife momentarily, she only responded with a shrug.

"What is it Psychic Two?" he asked.

"I saw this couple..." he began, "One was a girl, about a few years younger than myself judging from her looks. There was a guy with her, and I eavesdropped on their conversation before I was detected by the male. They were discussing the girl's desire to leave the town and find us."

"Where are you going with this? This isn't new to us, there's plenty of people who talk about finding us."

"Well...the male is not what he seems," Psychic Two continued. "He's a Latios...I saw him as such before he detected my presence and turned into a human to disguise himself."

The man and his wife were now much more interested. They both looked at each other before the old soldier hit the mic key again.

"Interesting...what about the girl?" he asked.

"She's definitely human, what do you advise?" Psychic Two responded.

The old soldier thought for a moment. He then spoke back up.

"Keep on course, they're not the objective," he then ordered. "...Though if they can be brought to us without it hurting the mission then look into it. That Latios is not safe there, and the girl is in no different of a situation if he's found out."

"Wilco Delta Base," Psychic Two said in understanding.

"Alright, get some rest for now and keep an eye out. You never know where the Regime has their eyes and ears," the older man stated. "...oh, and Joseph?"

A pause, then the voice came back.

"Yeah, dad?" Joseph (Psychic Two) responded.

The father looked at his wife again. She nodded with a slight sign of a tear in her eye.

"Be careful out there. Your mother is worried you know," he said.

"I'll be fine, I've been through worse things," Joseph stated.

The radio then went silent; the line being cut for now. The man pushed the microphone away and sighed. He turned and leaned back to sit on the small radio desk. His wife moved to him and wrapped her arms around him in a light embrace. He returned it with a kiss on top of her head. There was a moment of supposed silence, broken by him letting out a chuckle.

"Stop worrying, hun," he consoled her. "You know what he said is true, he's been through worse. Hell, it's no worse than anything we've been through together."

Another silence; the soldier responded by rolling his eyes and kissing the top of her head again.

"Enough, I won't have you feeling like this," he said with a warm smile.

He placed one hand under her chin and lifted her gaze up to him. They kissed for several uninterrupted moments, then pulled away from their lip-lock. The soldier then glanced impatiently around the tent that was empty with the exception of them.

"Where is she?" he groaned. "She was supposed to be here by now with the others to plan our next movement against the Regime."

He took a few steps towards the table with the large map and stared at it for several moments. His wife stood behind him with a sly look on her face now. The soldier straightened up slightly.

"Oh?..." he said, realization hitting him. He turned to face her again, "You ordered them not to come back yet?"

She was now looking at the soldier with a half-lidded gaze. Her eyes locked onto his with a somewhat lustful stare. Her tongue quickly flitted across her bottom lip to wet it as her hands met her hips. The soldier looked her over and then grinned.

"Oh you sly, clever girl..." he said, removing his jacket and walking to his love. "...I suppose we haven't had any alone time in awhile, maybe it wouldn't hurt."

His love let out a slight giggle, a sound that was always music to his ears. They embraced once more and started kissing again. Outside, the rumbles of the generators and commotion of the Resistance soldiers and pokemon milling about hid the couple's 'alone time'.


	3. Things to Come

**Chapter 2: Things to Come**

The next day: (Anvil Fields)

May straightened her stance and popped her back. With a single gloved hand, she wiped the sweat from her forehead. It was almost time to end the work day, and she was nearly complete tending to this section of the crop fields. Looking over, she noticed Mason was just about complete with his tasks as well. He looked up and met her gaze, then smiled warmly as he stood up and carried a basket full of fresh vegetables over towards the counting station. May grabbed her basket as well, being careful not to drop any of the tomatoes that were piled within it.

She met her friend at the counting station right as he got there, and the two stood in silence together in the line. After a moment and moving only a few steps forward in the slow line, Mason's voice sounded off in May's head.

" **Decent pick today?** " he asked, attempting to start some small talk.

May smiled, giving him a quick glance.

"Not bad I suppose," she said. "If it wasn't for the Digletts burrowing their way around under the plants and tearing them up, it could be better."

The girl heard a chuckle in her consciousness.

" **Oh yeah?** " Mason responded. " **You know they're just trying to make a living in this crazy world as well.** "

"I know that. I always try to help them when I can," she said, remembering a time when she would sneak small pieces of food to the ground when the guards weren't looking. Every time she'd look away, the food would always disappear into a small hole in the ground. "I'm just glad that those traps that the guards set for them always seem not to work or break suddenly."

She then gave a playful and suspicious look to the disguised Latios beside her. He grinned and shrugged.

" **I have no idea what you're talking about,** " he finished as they reached the counting station.

It was a simple wooden construction, appearing like a shed with one wide window cut out of the front. A bored-looking woman stood behind the counter and weighed out each of May and Mason's baskets of food. On either side of the counting station were two armed guards, each keeping their rifles pointed inwards towards the people waiting in line. After a few minutes of waiting, the woman running the counter turned back to the couple, handing each of them a slip of paper, a few different vegetables, and a small block of compacted flavored powder. This small block would be boiled in some water to form a broth. Taking the vegetables and the blocks in hand, they both stuffed the paper slips into their pockets and walked back to the front gate of Anvil to reenter the city. They had earned their pay for another long day: a single meal. They also knew that there even may be just enough to stretch it out and have a cold breakfast in the morning if they were lucky.

As the couple reached the gate, two of the guards watching it motioned for them to stop. May ignored the armed guards atop the wall that were pointing their weapons at the two in case they tried anything. She ignored the rude and grunted command for them to halt and only stared forward as the guards walked over to them, rifles at the ready.

"Returning from the fields?" one guard asked roughly, picking through the vegetables and counting them.

"Yessir," May replied simply.

The guard stopped what he was doing and glared at her. He then pointed a thick finger towards her.

"Was I asking you?" he stated with a stone look. May stood motionless, unknowing how to respond.

"W-well sir, I-," she went to answer, but was cut off.

"No I wasn't!" the guard then shot off. "I was talking to the boy here, not you!"

He then turned to stare at Mason.

"So what's the answer then, boy?" he asked again.

Mason stood in silence, unable to respond since he was unable to speak the human language vocally. After a silent few seconds, the guard rose his eyebrows and began to appear to lose his patience.

"Well? Anytime now!" the second guard exclaimed, turning his rifle over in his hands to prepare to swing it.

There was another agonizing second, and the guard went to swing his rifle at Mason when May quickly spoke up once more.

"W-wait!" she exclaimed, making the guards stop in their tracks. They both turned and looked at her again. Her heart was pounding against her ribs as she tried to mouth her words, "H-he's m-mute sir...he can't speak..."

The main guard glared at her for another moment, then turned back to Mason. Mason quickly nodded and opened his mouth, revealing the absence of a tongue. There was only the stub was where one apparently used to be. The guard took notice, then nodded.

"Alright then..." he said. He then held out his hand. "Give me your slips."

Mason and May quickly retrieved the paper slips from their pockets and handed them to the guard. On the slips was the written number of each vegetable that each of the couple were given as pay for their work. The guard looked the slips over and nodded again. He then waved them both through.

"Everything looks fine here, move on," he finally said.

The pair quickly moved on through the gate, both sighing in relief. As they passed the large wood and steel doors back into Anvil, another pair of guards were staring at May. Once leaned over and spoke up to the other.

"Damn, look at her," he said, eyeing her body up and down.

"Hell yeah, she looks about old enough to be spending some time in the 'farms'," the other said in tune, giving May a lustful stare. "I don't think I'd mind stopping there to try her out."

May felt a pang of anger coming from Mason, and she didn't want him doing anything that could get them in trouble.

 **It's fine, Mason. Just ignore it, I do.** She thought in her mind, hoping Mason would hear with his psychic powers.

The message seemed to get through to him, as he appeared to calm somewhat. He still gave a quick and annoyed glance to the guards as they walked on.

" **I know you ignore it, but it's still wrong...the way they looked at you,** " he said, now more upset than angry.

May glanced down to the ground in front of her. She clutched the vegetables in her arms more tightly.

 **I know...you just learn to get over it I guess.** She replied, somewhat morose.

Several more minutes passed with neither saying much, then the two finally made it back home. As they walked, May kept an eye out for the strange man they saw the night prior, yet he was nowhere to be seen. She figured that maybe he was just passing through. Once the couple was inside her mother's home, they closed and latched the door shut, then piled the vegetables on the small table in the center of the run down kitchen. Mason began sorting through the foods and cutting them into small pieces as May got a fire going to boil some water.

" **So...what are the 'farms' that the guard was referring to?** " Mason asked, speaking up after getting tired of the silence.

May placed the iron pot on the fire once it was roaring, then filled it with water from their house's spout.

"I'm surprised you don't know," she said. She then stood straight up once more, trying to find the words to answer his question, "It's...a place where women are forced to get pregnant over and over again to 'boost the human population'."

Mason stopped his cutting of a tomato and nearly dropped the knife. He looked at May with shock and fear in his eyes.

" **What?...** "

She pursed her lips and nodded her head, "Yeah...every girl has to go through it once they're of age, and they can't quit the farms until they've given birth to at least three healthy children...and usually guards and officers get first dibs on the newer girls."

Mason began to shake out of worry for May.

" **That's...so wrong...** " he could barely manage. " **What about your mother? Aren't you her only child?** "

"Yeah, but she was unable to have kids after me. There was some sort of medical condition that keeps her from having any more," she said. "...So, she's just kept there more as...fun...for the guards. They say it's punishment for my father's attempts at reaching the Resistance."

The Latios had to fight back the urge to vomit. How could humanity be so cruel to even themselves? He then went over to May and embraced her. She hugged him back tightly, herself fighting the urge to cry.

" **I will not let that happen to you...it's disgusting,** " he said, tightening his embrace.

May smiled slightly, then pulled away to kiss him. They kissed for several seconds, then stopped. She caressed his face with one hand, his head nuzzling slightly into her palm. The girl managed a small giggle at the Pokemon's instinctual habits, even when disguised as a human.

"Thank you Mason," she finally said.

The two then went back to their tasks, preparing their small meal.

Meanwhile: (Anvil Subterranean Prison Housing)

The underground prison of Anvil was damp and cold. It was a rather small facility, only a few cells meant for human occupancy lined the hallway. The cells were constructed of thick stone bricks on three sides, with a wall of steel bars with a small door being the entrance being the forth side. There were no windows in the cells, which were only dimly lit with small light bulbs hanging from thin wires out in the hall. The inside of the cells were just as bare. No beds were given to the prisoners, only a thin blanket and somewhat flat pillow were provided. A small, square hole in the floor in the corner of the small cells served as the toilets; the holes themselves leading to plumbing pipes and into the sewers, far too small for any person to crawl through.

Only a single cell was occupied this week. He was a man in his mid-thirties, and he resided in the very last cell. The only thought on his mind was his lover back at the Resistance base in [redacted]. He knew she was worried sick, and it made him feel worse for failing her. The man felt it was his fault for being captured by the Regime while on his last patrol. He closed his eyes and sighed before laying on his side and trying once again to go asleep. Tomorrow it would all be over. Tomorrow he would be executed in front of the entire town of Anvil.

Silence settled within the small prison, but suddenly a small commotion could be heard at its entrance.

"Hey!" the voice of a guard could be heard. "Who are you? You can't be in he-"

The voice was cut off suddenly, followed by a loud thud. The man sat back up and listened for anything. At first he could hear nothing, but then the sound of boots clacking against the stone floor echoed throughout the hall. Finally, the shadow of another person appeared in front of his cell. The man looked up at the shape and instantly recognized him.

"Joseph?" he said, shocked to see him.

He jumped up and went to the bars separating the two men, and they embraced as best as they could. The man patted Joseph on the back hard, almost weeping in happiness. He let go and took a step back, then had to ask.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Joseph removed the sunglasses hiding his eyes and grinned at him.

"I'm here to break your ass out, what else would I be doing?" Joseph replied.

The man shook his head, "No, it's far too dangerous for you to be here. What if they catch you?"

Joseph grabbed the steel bars and began to look them up and down, trying to find any weaknesses.

"You know they aren't," he said. "Besides, I'm tired of Sis worrying about you."

"...How is she?" the imprisoned man then asked.

Joseph looked back at him, looking into his eyes.

"...She's hurting without you," he said lowly. "Sis really needs you to be with her again."

The man fought back a tear, but had difficulty.

"Joseph...you need to get out of here. It's far too dangerous. We can't risk losing you too," he said, his voice choking. "Please...leave...and tell her I'm sorry..."

The trench coat-wearing man went to say something back, but could hear a commotion back where he came in from. He glanced towards the hall's entrance and the sounds of guards heading his way was heard. He then turned back to the man in the cell before stepping back.

"I'm not leaving you behind, I'm getting you home no matter what," Joseph finished, turning to run before the guards found him there. He did not allow the other man to respond, only leaving him for the meantime, alone with his own thoughts.

Deep down, the man prayed that Joseph would save him. He wanted to see his love again.

Meanwhile: (Resistance Base Delta, Location: [redacted])

The old soldier exited the Resistance Command Tent and stretched his arms. He had just spent the last few hours planning and briefing the others in their next move against the Regime. He yawned out loud and scratched the top of his head, looking at the scenes around him. The old antiaircraft guns still pointed upwards, always ready to cough rounds at any enemy aircraft that threatened them. The guns' crews sat around them somewhat lazily, but a few straightened up and continued to watch the skies when they saw their leader exit the Command Tent. Along one ridge surrounding the base was several different flying types of pokemon. A Staraptor was perched atop a rock and scanned the area, then looked down at the old soldier and nodded once before resuming its over watch.

The soldier allowed himself to relax for a moment. He walked along several other tents towards the Chow Hall. Once inside the very long tent, he grabbed a tray and stood in line. Several of the Resistance members there offered to allow him to cut in line, but he respectfully refused. He didn't mind the wait, and he knew that these others deserved a decent meal before he did.

As he waited, his wife came up behind him and tried to spook him. When she went to spring her scare, he turned and grinned at her, ruining the moment. He laughed and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in tight and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek much to her slight annoyance.

"You know you can't sneak up on me anymore, hun," he said with a chuckle. "After all these years I think I have a sixth sense of knowing when you're around."

His wife huffed and rolled her eyes, then kissed him back.

"I love you too babe," the soldier said with a grin.

Once he had ate, he left the Chow Hall with his wife at his side. She kept one arm interlocked with one of his as they walked. They went back over to the Command Tent, where a small group was awaiting them. Along with him was the soldier's old pokemon. The old pokemon definitely showed his age, and sported the scars of battle from over the years, yet his slit yellow eyes still appeared as alert as the day he was hatched. The soldier patted the old pokemon on his head, then turned to the others.

"Is everyone good to go?" he asked.

"Yessir!" they all called out in unison. They each had their weapons at the ready.

The man nodded, then noticed another in their group. It was his daughter, and he seemed worried about having her come with them.

"Are you sure you want to come along?" he asked her. She silently nodded, looking saddened but ready, "Alright then, we'll get him back, don't worry."

He then turned back to the others.

"Alright everyone, you know the drill," he called out. "We're to meet Joseph at the stated location in only a few days' time."

He paused for a moment and looked each one of them over. They all looked confident, and it made him all the more proud to be in the Resistance.

"We'll meet Joseph there, help secure the target and then beat feet back here. Any questions?"

Nothing, only silence from the group. The old soldier nodded again, allowing a grin to appear on his face.

"Good, let's head out!" he yelled, charging his rifle.

The old pokemon next to him let out a roar into the skies, and the group began to make way to the Base's entrance. As they marched past the makeshift pillboxes, the old soldier nodded to the militiamen manning the machine guns. He was then stopped for a moment by his wife. They turned to face each other and she reached out to hold his hands as he slung his rifle.

"What's wrong?" he asked his love.

She shook her head, signifying there was nothing wrong. Her face then appeared as if she was concentrating on something in her thoughts, she then opened her mouth to speak.

"I-I love you," she said, her angelic voice ringing in his ears.

The soldier smiled, then kissed her quickly.

"I love you too...now let's get going. We have to meet with our son," he finished, walking to catch up with the others while holding her hand.


	4. A Secret Revealed

**Chapter 3: A Secret Revealed**

Three days after last chapter: (Anvil)

May awoke from her sleep in the early morning. Laying with her in bed was Mason. At some point in the night he had turned back into his normal and true Pokemon form. The Latios was still sleeping soundly, now taking up most of the small bed. The young woman sighed at the Pokemon who was laying part way across her, lightly shoving him off so she could get up.

May quickly went over to her dresser and opened it. She rummaged through each drawer, picking out several pieces of clothing to wear. The girl paid no mind to the faded colors and small tears that most of her clothing sported; neither did she mind the cloth patches that were stitched over some of the larger holes in the various shirts and pants that she owned. The fact she had more than only a few outfits was enough to make her happy, since most people in this age only had a few spare changes of clothes. Her mother had done her best to keep what clothes May did have in decent repair, and it was all the daughter could ask for.

Finding some clothing that suited her for the day, she quickly dressed to cover her currently bare form. Once she was now clothed, she heard a yawn coming from behind her. May turned to see that the Latios was waking up as well. He rolled over to face her, giving off a small smile. Reaching up with both of his three-fingered hands, he wiped his face to help wake himself up better.

"Well good morning, Mason," May said with a grin.

The Latios looked over to her once more.

" **Good morning to you as well, love,** " he responded, rising from the bed.

He simply hovered in the air for several moments, not moving. The Pokemon then levitated into the middle of the room and transformed into his human disguise. Mason stood still once more, yawning loudly while wiping his eyes again.

" **You humans wake up far too early for my tastes,** " he complained.

May stifled a giggle, then went over to him. She lowered his hands back to his sides and kissed him for several seconds. This act seemed to help him wake up, as it surprised him slightly. Once she broke the kiss, he couldn't help but break into a large grin.

"Better?" she asked, smiling as well.

" **Of course,** " he replied, watching her as she stepped away and over to her bedroom door.

May stood at the closed door, facing it for a split moment and then spun on her heels. She reached down and grabbed her boots, quickly slipping them on. As she did so, she eyeballed Mason up and down. He felt confused as she stared at him, then she let out a small laugh.

"You realize you can't go out like that, right?" she claimed. "Just about everybody would give you a hell of a time."

Mason looked down at himself to realize that he, like she was when she woke up, was without a stitch to wear. His cheeks reddened at the realization that he simply wasn't paying attention to himself in his grogginess. It was how he had slept when in human form, and didn't pay attention as he turned back.

Quickly fixing the issue, he made clothing that matched the typical attire of the general population of Anvil flash onto his person. At least then he was modest. May giggled once more, then opened her door to leave the room. Mason followed right after her, following the human girl outside. It was a cloudy morning, and it appeared that it may rain as well judging from the dark clouds moving slowly overhead. The couple stood for a moment, wondering what to do on their weekly 'free day', but were quickly interrupted by the chiming of a church bell in the distance. The sound originated from the town's courtyard, and indicated a mandatory gathering of the town's population.

Hearing that chime made May's heart sink slightly, knowing what it meant. Mason knew as well what it was for, and he immediately became saddened. The two grasped at each other's hands, then looked at each other.

"I hate this time of the month..." May said lowly.

Mason nodded, a look of sadness dominating his face.

" **As do I,** " he replied. " **But we have to go...if we do not, then we can get in serious trouble.** "

The young woman only responded with a shrug, then began to walk towards the courtyard. Every month, the Regime publicly executed any Resistance members they manage to capture. They are also known to execute any pokemon that are captured and not seen as useful to their purposes, or those that simply prove too difficult to make obedient. It was always hard to watch.

When they arrived, a crowd had already formed in the courtyard. At one end was a raised stone platform, approximately fifteen meters wide and half as far front to back. It was raised from the ground only a meter. Front and center of the platform was the machine used to execute the Regime's victims. It was made primarily of wood, and consisted of a tall frame which served the purpose of guiding a heavy, sharpened blade downwards. The blade was already suspended in the air, its razor edge still gleaming in the morning light. A multitude of town guards were lined along the platform, eyeing the crowd of citizens. On the platform itself, there was several dozen soldiers of the Regime, all standing around a steel cage and a single human prisoner. The human prisoner was a man who appeared to be in his thirties with slate gray hair and matching eyes. He was staring into the crowd, looking as if he was searching for one person in particular. Finally his eyes seemed to come to a rest on someone, and May took notice of this.

She followed his gaze and spotted the same person the prisoner was looking at. It was the strange young man from the other day. Though the sky was cast in clouds and shadows, the man still wore the dark sunglasses. His hands were dug deep into the pockets of his trench coat as he as looking back to the prisoner momentarily. May was still looking at him as he then glanced around at the crowd, eventually spotting her. He met her gaze for a split second, before curtly nodding. This snapped the young woman from her spell, and she went back to staring at the guillotine. She thought for a second that the man may try to approach her and Mason, but the thought quickly passed when she heard Mason's voice in her head.

" **Don't worry, he's moving away now,** " the disguised Latios said.

May let out a sigh, feeling somewhat relieved.

 **I don't know what it is about him...** she then thought in response, not wanting the people around her hearing them.

" **I feel it too,** " Mason replied. " **I'm normally good at reading people, but him...there's definitely something different.** "

 **Do you think he may be like you? A pokemon in disguise?** She then asked.

" **No,** " Mason quickly answered. " **It would be easy for me to tell then. I can't quite figure it out.** "

May went to say something else, but was quickly interrupted by an older soldier beginning the execution ceremony. He was a man in his late fifties, and he was somewhat plump. His chest was covered in medals that he may have earned from the Great Downfall, or simply wore because nobody would question it. Twirling the ends of his greying handlebar mustache, he began talking. His voice was bellowing throughout the courtyard.

"People of Anvil!" the Colonel began. "This beautiful morning, we shall once more show the superiority of the Regime, and humanity, over the evil wickedness of monsters everywhere!"

He gestured to the steel cage behind him. A few soldiers rushed to open the cage and proceeded inside it. The crackling of several cattle prods could be heard, followed by screams of pain of a single feminine being within the steel walls. The Colonel continued.

"Since the Great Downfall, humanity has been but mere prey to the beasts that are the scourge of our world! Some even have mastered the arts of illusion and have hidden themselves among our own!"

A small gasp escaped from the people in the crowd. Mason began to feel a disturbance in his thoughts. He took May's hand in his and gave it a squeeze. The soldiers who were in the cage finally emerged from it, dragging a person, a woman, along the ground using chains. The woman was unclothed and appeared to be horribly beaten. The soldiers yanked her to her feet as the Colonel pointed viciously at her.

"This 'human', this _thing,_ " he spit, putting extra emphasis on the word 'thing', "is not human at all! It is a monster that is only capable of trickery!"

He then approached the nude woman, grinning cruelly. He then gestured to an advance-looking device that was about the size of an average backpack. It had wires protruding from it and possessed multiple digital screens with blinking LED's.

"This device," the Colonel then explained, "uses special radio waves and signals to detect the presence of a monster disguised as a person. It finds them within a short distance and then disrupts those signals and reveals them for who they really are."

May and Mason both had sinking feelings in their guts. Mason began to shake slightly, becoming worried.

" **We need to leave, now...** " Mason said, the feeling getting stronger.

 **We can't...not without being spotted anyways...** May then thought back, her own worry becoming worse.

The Colonel approached the device, pressing several buttons on a control panel.

"I will show you just who this 'person' really is!" He bellowed, pulling a switch and activating the device.

It shuddered and pulsated, sending out its signals. The radio waves hit the undressed female, causing her to spasm slightly and glow dimly. Soon, she was revealed to actually be a Zoroark, the Illusion Fox Pokemon. The crowd gasped, but not because of the imprisoned Pokemon on stage...but because of the one that suddenly also appeared in the crowd. All eyes quickly turned to a young human female, and the blue and white bird-like Pokemon next to her. The people immediately around May and Mason quickly spread away from them, and the couple could feel the glare of the Colonel on stage.

"Capture that thing and the girl!" he screamed like a madman, pointing at them.

The guards and soldiers sprung into action, moving quickly towards them with weapons drawn. May panicked, not knowing what to do. She just tightly grabbed onto Mason's arm.

"Mason, I'm scared!" she cried out, trying to fight back her tears.

The Latios had to think of something quickly. He glanced around at several avenues of escape, but all were quickly being blocked. The soldiers would be on them in seconds if he didn't do something. He thought for a moment that he should fight them; he knew he was strong enough that the chances of success were high...but he simply didn't know if he had the mental strength to harm another living thing.

He didn't have time to think, though, for his mind was made for him. Gunfire erupted in the courtyard, causing the civilians there to drop to the ground. Now standing in the open was the strange man, having fired several shots into the air from a compact rifle that he retrieved from his trench coat. The man leveled the rifle and fired on the soldiers running towards May and Mason, quickly dispatching them with inhuman levels of accuracy. When other soldiers tried to fire back, it seemed as if the man would flash away in an instant, only to appear elsewhere to return their fire. He then focused his fire on the Colonel, hitting the old man several times in the chest and dropping him. The Colonel then laid flat on his back, gurgling blood as his life left him.

The couple watched the man as he fought, shocked at what they were seeing. Finally, Mason pulled on May's arm.

" **Come on!** " he yelled in her head. " **We need to leave!** "

The two then used the distraction that the trench coat-wearing man was giving to get away. As soon as Mason was outside of the device's range, he quickly turned back into his human form in a flash, and they used that to help run through the fleeing crowds relatively undetected. Once they were a safe distance away, they noticed that guards from all around the city were rushing towards the court yard. Heavy gunfire still thundered from the area and they could only assume that the stranger was still fighting. May then looked towards the gate leading out of Anvil and tugged at Mason's sleeve.

"We have to leave Anvil, they know what you are now!" she said, pleading to him.

Mason looked at her for a moment. He didn't want her to leave the town, but knew now that they had no option.

" **It's dangerous out there...** " he said, reminding her.

She nodded back, trying to fight back the emotions that were bombarding her. In the distance, the gunfire suddenly stopped, and the voices of guards and soldiers yelling were heard.

"Then we'll find the Resistance. They can protect us." she said, turning and running off for the gate.

Earlier: (Anvil)

Joseph bobbed and weaved throughout the crowd that gathered in the courtyard. He shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced around momentarily, then shifted his eyes back to the stage. The executions would start soon, leaving him with no time to come up with a proper plan. He figured this would leave him with the option of simply gunning his way through the guards and soldiers to retrieve the target and then make way out of there. The whole escape part would prove to be easy for him, it was just the part of getting to his friend without either of them getting hurt that worried him.

Atop the stone platform on the other side of the courtyard sat a guillotine, and behind it was a steel cage. Joseph knew there was a Pokemon in there, but unfortunately it wasn't his primary concern. If he could help the creature out, then he would, but getting his friend to safety was priority one.

There. A group of soldiers began marching up the steps of the platform. With them was the man he sought. He was handcuffed and being pulled along by his arms. The man looked around the crowd, undoubtedly looking for Joseph. He finally then spotted the trench coat-wearing person, and his face expressed slight relief, but still had concern. Joseph only gave him a reassuring glance, then looked to his left as he felt another pair of eyes on him.

In the distance he saw the girl from the other day, with the Latios with her again. The Pokemon was once again disguised as a human male, and was looking forward, seemingly ignoring Joseph unlike the girl. She stared at him for several moments, then Joseph smiled slightly and nodded. This seemed to break her trance as she stiffened up and looked forward as well. He had a thought that made him consider approaching the two and secretly introducing himself. After all, he already knew that the girl was interested in finding the Resistance, so who better than a member of said group to say something to them? Maybe they could join; the Resistance was always looking for new members, especially Pokemon of Legendary status like a Latios.

He was about to step towards them, but then thought better of it. Now clearly was not a good time, and trying to get them back as well could prove more risky than he was willing to deal with. With the carnage he was about to unfold on the Regime soldiers here, he didn't think he could handle dragging them along. The Latios was safe for the meantime anyways...perhaps he could come back later for them...

Joseph was interrupted from his thoughts as he saw a Regime Colonel step up to be on the front of the platform. He recognized this colonel. It was Colonel Briggs. The bastard was a cruel and evil man, and was high up on the list of Regime officers in need of termination. Joseph made a mental note to try to kill him if he could.

As he had these thoughts, the Colonel was blabbering on about human superiority and the evil that were Pokemon. Joseph simply ignored the nonsense he spouted, up until he was talking about this odd device that was now on display on the platform. The Colonel stated that the device would reveal any Pokemon that was disguisd as a human, and this instantly worried Joseph. His first thought went to the Latios, then the woman they held captive on stage. He knew she was a Pokemon, and he also knew that Briggs was going to display the device's capabilities by trying it on the woman. He knew this wouldn't end well. He began to slowly reach into his trench coat, retrieving his shortened R-18 rifle.

The device then turned on, giving off a series of radio signals. On stage, the captive woman was immediately forced to change back into her true form, that being of a Zoroark. Joseph glanced at the Pokemon once, then turned his head to see the crowd panicking and pushing away from the girl and Latios, who as well was revealed in his true form. From the stage, the Colonel screamed for his men to move and capture them, and Joseph decided to act now.

He pulled his assault rifle from his coat, rising it into the air. He pulled the trigger, firing several rounds and forcing the civilians to drop out of harm's way. He then took aim at the soldiers and guards running for the girl and Pokemon, quickly killing them before they could reach their targets. The man then took aim at the Colonel himself, dropping him with a few rounds. Joseph then moved quickly to avoid enemy fire as they shot back. He zipped back and forth as he rushed for the platform, killing every soldier in his path. Once he was there, he killed the two guards standing on either side of his friend, then took notice of the Zoroark, who was trying to slash at several soldiers around her. Joseph killed them as well, then the area seemed clear for a few moments.

He went to the Zoroark, who growled at him. Joseph slung his rifle and rose his hands in front of him to show that he meant no harm. He then retrieved the keys off the belt of a dead soldier and released her from her chains.

"You are welcome to come with us and join the Resistance if you'd like, Zoroark," Joseph stated, trying to be as friendly as possible to the Dark type.

She huffed and growled slightly again.

 _Don't think that because you freed me, that I would join your silly Resistance...I'm fine on my own._ She responded with slight scorn before running off and jumping over the town's wall to freedom.

Joseph watched the Illusion Fox Pokemon leave, then let out a sigh. The young man then ran to his friend and released him from his cuffs, then handed him a rifle from off the dead. He then looked around for the girl and Latios, but it looked as if they already ran off. He hoped for the best and decided to go on with his mission. As the two were about to leave, more guards poured into the courtyard and opened fire at the two men. Joseph and his friend fired back as they ran for cover, then quickly made their escape from Anvil.

They soon found themselves outside the town in the forest that surrounded it. Joseph's friend let out a sigh of relief and then grabbed him up in a tight embrace.

"Brother, it is so good that you saved me from that hell," he said as Joseph returned the hug.

"How could I leave you there?" Joseph responded with a grin. "If I did, then I would have to deal with my sister's wrath for the remainder of my life, and I don't know if I'm prepared for that fight."

The two shared a laugh together, and it felt good. Laughter was something that was not commonly had anymore, at least not in this kind of world. After a moment, Joseph looked around and heard movement nearby. The two men quietly approached the source, only to see it was the girl and Latios from earlier. Joseph was relieved to see that they had escaped without harm. They both appeared to be lost, with the Pokemon having an expression of worry on his face for the girl. Joseph looked to his friend.

"Well then," he said. "How about we go say hi?"


	5. The Resistance

**Hey guys, sorry for the delay. I've been very busy with life and haven't had much time to work on this story, so I apologize. I am still alive and well otherwise and I will finish this story, I promise that much! I will also be getting to another story, 'The Soldier's Daughter', at _some_ point...hopefully soon. For those of you who may not remember, it will be the story about Harmony and Lucas and how they came to be a couple and will be taking place around the time after Eric and Celest's relationship is revealed to the public and going all the way to after Eric's death. (Spoiler if you haven't read A Soldier and His Gardevoir)**

 **...and speaking of my first story...I have actually considered uploaded a revamped and rewritten version of A Soldier and His Gardevoir. I have noticed that my writing style has changed a bit since the first chapter of that story, and I thought that maybe a revamped version would be cool. I don't know how much would change, but I would like it to take a much grittier approach and include more military-related stuff as I had actually planned in the first place when I came up with the idea of that story. Enough would change that it would be worth reading again as it definitely would not be the exact same story. The chapters would follow the same overall plots, but would be redone to be better. There would even be a few twists that I know would catch some of you off guard. ;) Just let me know what you'd think in regards to that. I'd probably title it 'The Sinnoh Soldier' to keep it separate from 'A Soldier and His Gardevoir' for those who would still like the original to stay up.**

 **Anyways, enough blabbering from me, onto the story! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The Resistance**

Near Rallypoint Alpha:

The Resistance soldiers slowly made their way over and through the rock and mountainous terrain on their way towards the rallypoint. It wasn't far to go now, maybe only another half hour's walk. Though it was still in the early morning, the heat from the sun was baking down on the Resistance members, who were all sweating as a result.

The old veteran wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced around at his surroundings. It was still clear for the meantime. The only sign of any Regime soldiers had been a small patrol that they quickly dispatched. He had wanted to avoid conflict with them if possible, but one of the other members in the group was spotted and fired upon by their enemy. Luckily, the one who was spotted was not injured and the hostiles found themselves horribly outmatched. Even if that particular patrol had a Luxray under their control, the poor creature had clearly been tortured by its master and was barely in any shape to battle. The Gleam Eyes Pokemon was put out of its misery quickly with a single, silent bullet to its head from the old soldier's wife. She hated seeing it suffer more than anyone there.

It had been nearly an hour ago since the run-in with that patrol, and the soldier hoped that they wouldn't run into anymore. This mission was tense enough as it was, with his son being the one sent to retrieve the target. That target was his daughter's husband, who also so happened to pester him enough to go along to meet up with Joseph at the rallypoint. It was all too risky for his liking, but he was unable to say no to her. After all, she was just as worried for her brother as she was for her mate. The soldier looked over at his daughter as he thought about everything. She was moving along smoothly with the other Resistance members and was utterly stoic in expression, though he knew it was just to hide her worry. He never wanted this kind of life for his family. He never would wish for it, and if he had the chance, he would go back and try to stop the Great Downfall over and over if it meant the slim chance he would succeed. All he wanted was a life of peace for his children and all life everywhere, and he would burn in Hell with a smile if it meant accomplishing that.

As the thoughts ran through his mind, he felt a hand lay on his shoulder. The soldier looked over and saw it was his wife, who gave him a small and warm smile. He looked into her beautiful eyes, and lost himself within them like he always did. She leaned in, kissing him gently on the cheek, rousing a smile out of him for just a moment. He then nodded, having any negative thoughts ran out of his brain. The couple continued on along with their comrades to the rallypoint.

After a short time later, they finally made it. The group moved slowly into the abandoned city, making sure to to keep their eyes on every possible place of hiding. The old and dilapidated buildings gave the entire scene depressing appearance. Memories of better times ran through the soldier's mind. He remembered the sunny days back in the town he used live in. The calm days of sitting on his front porch, enjoying the nice weather. His daughter would be playing in the yard with several small Pokemon she would find and befriend. He would watch her, grinning to himself as she ran to try and keep up with their little games. After a few moments, his wife would emerge from their house, a few glasses of fresh tea in hand. She would give him a glass with a quick kiss, then quickly move to their daughter to give her one as well. His wife would have water as well to give to the Pokemon, would who all happily accept it.

Time fast forwarded in the soldier's mind. It was the same scene of him on his front porch. His daughter was now older, leaving the house in a hurry to meet up with the man who would later become her husband. She would kiss him goodbye and rush into her lover's arms. The two would then make way down the street to wherever they were planning for their date for that night. The soldier then looked over to see his wife standing on the porch with him, leaning against the painted white wooden railing. In her arms she held their baby, the infant that would grow to be Joseph. He smiled at the sight, falling in love once more for the thousandth time with his beloved wife.

Once again, time went forward. Everything blurred around the soldier as his clothing changed. Looking down at himself, he immediately saw that he was in his military uniform. A ballistic vest encased his torso as a rifle appeared in his arms. Gunfire and screaming then filled the air. The battlefield faded into view, and he found himself in a trench, surrounded by friendly soldiers on either side. It was his home turf, in the Sinnoh Region outside of Jubilife City. The fighting had bogged down into trench warfare at this point. He looked to his right, and his old dragon Pokemon was hunching down to keep his head below the top of the trench. The dragon looked at him, making a noise as if to ask what to do.

"Sergeant!" a voice yelled out.

To the soldier's ears, it seemed muffled.

"Sergeant! What do we do?" the voice called out again.

The soldier then looked to his left, and there was standing a young soldier. He was barely old enough to be in the military. His helmet seemed much too large for his head, and drooped down. The older soldier looked at him for a few seconds, then noticed the other soldiers behind the young one, all looking to him for orders. He then heard himself yelling orders, moving his arms in exaggerated ways as he directed his men.

They all positioned themselves to leap into no man's land between their trench and the one occupied by Johto soldiers. It was nearly two hundred meters away, and certain death stood in their way. The old soldier jumped over his cover, with his Mach Pokemon and fellow soldiers quickly behind him. Rushing from what little pieces of cover they had, they charged towards the enemy. A hostile Donphan using rollout was moving quickly across the open field towards them. The soldier yelled an order to his own Pokemon, who charged a ball of blue energy and fired it from his mouth. The dragon-type attack made a direct hit, knocking the Donphan off track and into a burnt-out tank. The Armor Pokemon teetered and wobbled to its feet, but then was smashed into the ground by a follow-up attack from the soldier's dragon.

Several more enemy Pokemon appeared in their way. A Scizor dashed at the soldier next to him, slicing his gut wide open with a single attack. The others paused to to fire at the Pincer Pokemon, managing to hit it several times and dropping it quickly. Immediately afterwards, black poison gas began to fill the air as a Weezing was expelling large amounts of the toxic gas from a bomb crater nearby. The soldier's dragon moved to attack it, but a large flash of light blinded him. It blinded everyone in the battle. The soldier felt as if his eyes were burning at the intense light, then as it faded he turned to face where it came from. In the distance, a mushroom cloud was rising into the sky. Orbital strikes were being used on his home. Dirt, dust and debris, along with a massive shock wave from the blast was hurtling towards the old soldier. He tried to yell an order to find cover, but his voice seemed nonexistent. The blast engulfed the battlefield as everything faded away.

The old soldier felt a hand shaking him out of his trance. He shook his head and blinked several times, then turned to see his wife giving him a look of concern. Her mouth was pulled into a frown as her eyes met his. He understood her worry. The soldier had been having flashbacks again. It bothered him and haunted his nightmares, even in his waking times. After a moment, he smiled to his love.

"I'm fine, hun. I promise," he said, trying to reassure her.

She didn't respond, only choosing to increase the look of concern that already dominated her face. Knowing that she couldn't help at the moment, she gestured to the other Resistance members as they cleared the abandoned town. A blush and a small wave of shame washed over the soldier, for he realized that he had been mentally out of it while they cleared the rally point. He nearly smack himself for not staying in the game, for had the Regime had any soldiers here, he wouldn't have been as reactive.

"Sergeant, Joesph has radioed in!" a militiaman yelled to the soldier. "He is nearing the rallypoint with the target, but has numerous Regime soldiers on his tail!"

The soldier took a deep breath, getting himself back into the action. He shifted the weight of his rifle in his arms, then began waving the Resistance members into position.

"Take up positions in these buildings," he ordered. "We'll provide ambush support for Joseph as he moves into town."

He racked the bolt of his rifle, ensuring that a round was chambered.

"Look alive! Let's do it!"

Earlier: (near Rallypoint Alpha)

May and Mason were following closely behind the stranger and the prisoner that he rescued. Though the couple had a difficult time at first trusting them, they seemed better off following these two, especially if they could take her and the Latios to the Resistance.

The two human men had introduced themselves earlier in the day, after having quickly caught up to her and Mason outside the town of Anvil. The trench coat-wearing one introduced himself as Joseph, while the other said his name was Lucas. After the introductions, Joseph had told her that he had overheard her and Mason discussing the Resistance the other day, and said that he could take them to his commander so they could join up. While May had no interest in fighting herself, she was more than happy to be living with a group that believed in restoring the Old World and helping them as best as she could.

Some time had passed, and the group had been walking through the dense vegetation to the east. Joseph told them that there was an old town where they would meet up with other Resistance members. From there, they would move as a larger and more protected group to one of the main bases that were hidden throughout the region.

Mason kept eyeing Joseph, like he was trying to read his mind. May nudged her elbow against him, knocking the Latios from his trance.

 **Don't be rude...** She thought to him, causing the Pokemon to give her a glance.

" **I just don't understand...,** " he responded. " **Nearly every human, I can read their mind...** "

She looked at Mason for a split second, then back to the ground in front of her as she watched her foot placement.

 **And?** She asked.

He looked at her again. Worry seemed to be present on his face.

" **I can't read his...,** " was his reply.

May felt her heart skip a beat slightly. She now found herself looking at the trench coat-clad male. Never before had she heard of a human whose mind a psychic-type couldn't read. As they moved through the woods, it was almost as if Joseph had heard the thoughts being shared between the human girl and Latios. He looked back at them, grinning. It was then that he looked at her over his sunglasses, which he had never removed. When May saw his eyes, she nearly lost her breath.

Joseph's irises were blazing crimson. Swirling pools of fire and apathy, his eyes seemed to pierce directly into her soul.

The girl felt her skin lose its color and her knees became weak. She looked to Mason, who's own eyes were widened at the sight. Joseph smiled even more as he pushed his sunglasses back up his nose, then turned to watch where he was walking. The girl then found the courage to speak.

"Who are you?..." the words barely managed to leave her mouth.

Joseph didn't look back at her as he responded.

"I'm Joseph, I told you that," he said with a chuckle. "I am a friend, don't worry."

May nodded, then remained silent as they continued on their path to the rallypoint. As they moved, both her and Mason could swear it was like Joseph was levitating, but couldn't tell as the trench coat he wore trailed behind him and obscured his feet.

Within time, they had made it to the town where Lucas and Joseph said they would be meeting other members of the Resistance. As they entered the town's perimeter, though, they came under fire from several Regime soldiers that had been hiding in ambush. Joseph pulled out a radio and yelled into it that they were closing in on the rallypoint. A voice responded to him, but May was unable to understand what was said as gunfire erupted in the streets between Lucas, Joseph and the Regime.

Using destroyed cars as cover, the two Resistance members made sure to keep May and Mason's heads down as they pushed them further into town. Eventually, Lucas seemed to run out of ammo and yelled the fact to Joseph, who threw him what ammunition he had. The human then did something that shocked the couple once more.

Joseph brought his hands close together, and a ball of shadow energy formed. He then threw it with great force, exploding the shadow ball near a group of Regime soldiers. He then reached out with one hand, which was glowing in a blue aura as he grabbed another enemy soldier and slammed him against a wall. The snapping of bones could almost be heard as the soldier screamed out and was tossed away like a toy. The odd person then turned to May and Mason.

"Come on!" he yelled. "Keep moving!"

The group continued to run, but then was cut off in a four-way street intersection by more Regime soldiers. They all had their weapons at the ready, prepared to kill the small group. Even more hostiles emerged from the other roads on the sides, effectively surrounding them.

"Resistance scum! Surrender now, and we'll make your deaths quick!" one of them yelled.

Joseph laughed to himself, then grabbed the enemy and crushed his torso with a strong psychic grip. The soldier let out a silent scream and then dropped dead, and the others prepared to fire.

For them, though, it was too late. Gunfire erupted from every direction high above in the surrounding buildings. Blood spurted from every Regime soldier that had the group encircled, and soon the area was clear.

May and Mason slowly rose from the asphalt. They hadn't even realized that they dropped to the ground when they became surrounded. The girl was shaking madly with fear, and had to register with herself that she was still alive. Mason reached out and took her hand, giving it a light squeeze. They then looked at each other and managed small smiles. Resistance members then began pouring from the abandoned buildings and approached the group.

The couple first noticed a blue-colored Gardevoir rushing across the pavement and to the man named Lucas. She flew into his arms, crying and sobbing loudly as he hushed her and ran his hand through her blue hair. They watched the two for a moment, then turned to see Joseph walking to other members of the group. Mason motioned for her to follow him, and the couple decided to follow Joseph.

They took note of the ones who seemed to be the main focus of the group. At the front was a man who appeared to be in his forties. His blond hair was graying in places, but his blue eyes still seemed sharp. At his left side, stood a Garchomp. The dragon looked to have seen a lot in its life, and sported many scars but still seemed strong. At the soldier's right was another Gardevoir. She seemed to carry herself with a wise stance, and showed her age, but was still very beautiful. The Gardevoir smiled widely at Joseph, pulling him into a hug as he got to her. Joseph seemed to gasp for air as she squeezed him in her embrace, then let out a chuckle.

"I told you I'd be fine, mom," Joseph said to the Gardevoir, receiving weird looks from both May and Mason.

The old soldier grinned to the Gardevoir and Joseph, then turned his attention to the couple.

"So, you two are the new potential recruits, eh?" he asked.

His voice was gruff, but still soft and welcoming in a sense. The look in the soldier's eyes only showed kindness, and had no signs of hostility in them.

"Y-yes sir," May then responded, failing to not stutter. "We wish to join the Resistance."

The old soldier then grinned widely, slinging his rifle and spreading his arms wide.

"Then welcome!" he called out, laughing to himself. "You are now in the Resistance!"

He then turned and waved the group to gather back up. The soldier then waved his arm in an exaggerated manner to indicate them to move out.

"Let us move out! We have to make way back to base," the old soldier said, walking away from May and Mason.

He walked past Joseph and the Gardevoir, lightly pulling on her arm to let Joseph go and follow him. The Gardevoir had tears of what seemed like worry for the one who called her his mother, but allowed Joseph free from her embrace as she retook her place at the old soldier's side. Mason looked at May, who returned his gaze with a shrug. A thought then popped into her head.

"Oh...excuse me, sir?" she suddenly asked.

The old soldier paused, looking over his shoulder at her. He raised one eyebrow in question. The Gardevoir paused as well, looking at Mason and her with a friendly smile.

"What is your name, sir?" May then asked. She gestured to the Latios, then herself, "This is Mason. My name is May."

The older man nodded and gave a curt grin.

"Nice to meet you May and Mason," he said. He then pointed to the Gardevoir that had her arm linked with his and then to himself. "The Gardevoir here is named Celest. I am Eric Hahn."

Eric then turned back and continued to walk with the rest of the group, with May and Mason quickly in tow behind them.


End file.
